The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1887-08-31
Convict Labor.

llOlldl lJdDOT Duredu IeldleS cutlIcly W
convict labor. The number of prison
ers of all grades employed in penal in
situations in this country is 64,349, of
which 1896 are females. OF the total
number engaged in productive labor
14,S27 are employed under the public
account system, 1850 under the con-
tract system, 1916 under the piece
price system and 9,104 under the lease
system. The proportion of the total to
the population of the United States,
as at present estimated, is one in
$50; but the proportion to those
engaged in mechanical, agricultural
and mining pursuits in the whole
country is about one convict to every
300 persons so employed. The total
value of goods made and work done by
productive labor in the penal institu-
tons of the whole country is S2S, 1884,
900. 1t took 45,277 convicts one year
to produce this total value. 1t would
have taken 25, 1874 free laborers to have
produced the same quantity of goods
in the same time; or, in other words, a
free laborer is equal to 1.27 convict; or,
to reverse the statement, one convict is
equal to rs of free laborer.
The report does not substantiate the
claim of labor agtators that the con-
tract system is wholly evil. 1t may be
said in its favor that this system re-
lieves the prison officials of the neces-
sity of being managers of great manu-
featuring establishments; it secures the
constant employment of convicts, and
the treasury of the state is thereby the
gamer, and the state avoids the risks
incident to carrying on any branch of
business. The only disadvantage of
the system, aside from the possibility
that the reformation of the convicts is
less encouraging under it, is that of
competition with free labor. And yet
this competition can hardly be so great
in this big country as to seriously affect
production and prices of goods such as
are principally manufactured by convict
labor. If the contract system were
abolished it is certain that not many
states could support their convicts
without taxing the people therefor. A
majority of people would not consent
to be taxed for the maintenance of
penal institutions if there is any way
by which these can be made self-sus-
tanning. Thus far the system of con-
tract labor has proved to be the only
one that produces remunerative results
to the state. The commissioner of la
Dor shows that the piece-price and pub
lie account systems have no greater adj
vantages, if so many.
The real problem, What is to be done
with our criminals? is thus discussed
in the report: I" 1t is of far more i'm
portance to the working-man of the
country to reduce crime, and conse-
quently the number of criminals, than
it is to adopt this or that system of la
Dor. Labor is more thoroughly inter-
ested in securing the absence of crime
and of the criminal than in the ques-
ton as to how the criminal shall be
employed. All who have really studied
the question are satisfied that profess
sional crime, and the class that habitu-
ally lives by violation of law, might be
well-nigh eXterminated by the perpetual
seclusion of what is known as the in
corrigible, who should always be sepa-
rated from all convicts having within
them any of the elements of reforma-
ton. Yet states go on from day to day
making positive criminals from tenta-
tive criminals. There is but little dis
elimination, except in a few institu-
tons, between criminal minded per-
sons, incorrigibles and weak or defec-
tive-minded persons. All alike are
doomed to convict's record. The in
corrigibles are made as comfortable as
possible, and are too often pitied and
petted when opportunity occurs and
an cutlery raised against penalties which
are painful, by doing which the public
often thinks it has done enough, and
asks if it has not done all that it had a
right to do when it has tied the hands
of the most practiced robber and ruflan
for certain arbitrary period. The
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been Christian nor statesman like nor
philosophical. He is neither abhorred
nor cured nor disarmed. The result is
that we do not act either on the re.
formatory or the retributive or the
purely defensive principle, but on &